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This blog shares information on upcoming events, important dates, and updates about McCoy College of Business.

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Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Congratulations to AMA who son several awards at the AMA International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans!!



AMA took the following awards at the AMA International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans last week!
  1. Top 10 chapter out of 365 competing chapters
  2. 2nd place in the Hershey's Cool Blasts Case Competition (out of 91 competing chapters)
  3. 4th place overall in the Wix Website Competition
  4. Honorable Mention for hosting Marketing Week
  5. Top 10 out of 30 in the SABRE Simulation Strategy Competition 

    CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

March Policy of the Month: Repeat Policy



Are you repeating a course this semester? When a course is taken more than once from Texas State, the second grade (first repeat) and all subsequent grades are included in computing the Texas State hours attempted, grade points earned and GPA. If the last grade in a repeated course is lower than an earlier grade, the last grade is used to determine whether the course fulfills university requirements. In other words, second grade replaces the first - for better or worse.



You can read the full policy in further detail on page 27 of the 2014-2016 Undergraduate Catalog
 

Monday, March 28, 2016

Entrepreneurial Studies Speaker Series: Lew Little, Harden Healthcare

Chief Executive Officer, Harden Healthcare, LLC

As founding CEO of Harden Healthcare, LLC, a company that he cofounded in 2002, Lew Little was instrumental in guiding the company from zero revenues and its initial acquisition of six skilled nursing facilities in Austin to more than $800M in revenue in 2013. Driving that revenue growth was a visionary expansion of the company’s mission from that of an operator of skilled nursing facilities to a broadly based provider of a full range of post-acute care services that included home health, hospice, and community care services from more than 200 sites nationwide. Over the nearly 12 years of continuous profitability and almost uniform growth, Little led the acquisition and successful integration of more than 20 organizations, many with operations in multiple states, as well as the successful organic scaling of existing operations. In 2013, he initiated and participated in negotiations that led to the sale of the home health, hospice, and community care services to Gentiva for more than $400M. While stepping down as CEO following that sale, Little remains on the Board of Directors of Harden Healthcare and retains an ownership interest in the firm.

A master’s program graduate of the University of Texas at Austin in 1981, Little holds both an MBA and a BBA from that school. He began his career in banking that same year in Houston with the JPMorgan Chase organization. In 1984, he and his wife, Jeanne, also a UT grad, returned to Austin for Lew to join InterFirst Bank, Austin which ultimately became what is today Bank of America, Austin. Little remained with the Austin bank until December 1999, serving in a variety of roles and leading successful teams in such areas as Real Estate, Trusts and Investments, Private Banking, Commercial Banking, and Special Assets. In all instances he led successful strategies and ultimately rose to the position of President.

In 2000, Little cofounded and became President of Capstar Partners LLC, an investment entity for R. Steven Hicks, formerly the CEO of Capstar Broadcasting and Vice Chair of AMFM, Inc., which was acquired by Clear Channel Communications in 2000. Little led strategies for entity investments and managed other investments for Mr. Hicks and his family. One of the key investments was in the founding of Harden Healthcare, and that investment led directly to his successes as CEO of that firm.

Little’s career has led to significant involvement in the business communities in many areas and with senior executives worldwide. He has been a member of both the Young Presidents and World Presidents Organizations since 1998 and served as Chair of the Austin Chapters of both. The memberships have yielded important professional relationships with CEOs worldwide. He has been a member of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors since 2012 and presently serves as its Volunteer Chair. He is formerly a Director and Chair of the Public Relations Task Force of the Alliance for Home Health Quality & Innovation. In 1999, he chaired the United Way Campaign in Austin and set a record for similarly sized communities by increasing donations 31% over the previous year.

Little has served on other private and public boards of directors, been recognized by the Austin Business Journal as Best CEO of a Large Company in 2013, by Concordia University for Excellence in Leadership in 2013, and by Ernst & Young as Entrepreneur of the Year in Austin and San Antonio in 2005. Little and Jeanne have 3 adult children.


Tuesday, March 29th
9:30 am
McCoy Hall 119 

Monday, March 21, 2016

Entrepreneurial Studies Speaker Series: Kim and Whit Hanks, Camp Lucy, Whim Hospitality

Whit H. Hanks, CEO and Kim Hanks, Executive & Vice President, Whim Hospitality, LLC

Hanks entered the real estate profession as a sophomore at the University of Texas, buying twenty-five residential properties one-by-one and remodeling them while a student. After receiving a Plan II degree and an M.B.A. from Texas, Hanks worked for U. S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen in Washington, D.C. and J. P. Morgan Bank in New York before returning to Austin to make his home.
 
He founded Whit Hanks Antiques in 1985 and imported antiques from Europe, specializing in architectural antiques. At the same time, he also developed several large commercial real estate projects in Austin. Hanks began acquiring property in the Dripping Springs area in 1985. He co-founded Pioneer Bank in 2007, and he continues to serve as its Chairman. Pioneer Bank should become the largest community bank (ranked by assets) in Central Texas sometime in 2016 when a planned merger is finalized.
 
Beginning in 2009, Hanks began development of Camp Lucy, an upscale wedding venue and resort facility near Dripping Springs. Hanks and his wife Kim, executive and vice-president, own Whim Hospitality, LLC, which manages Camp Lucy and also offers hospitality services, including catering, florals, rentals, tents, and event coordination to the many wedding venues operating nearby and also in Austin. For the period 2012-2014, Whim was ranked the second fasting growing company in Central Texas by the Austin Business Journal and is one of the largest private employers in Dripping Springs.
 
Tuesday, March 22nd
9:30 am
McCoy Hall 119 

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Student Organization of the Month - AITP


Get to know Hanna Foster, Junior CIS major and president of AITP. The Association of Information Technology Professionals is an organization that has kept pace with the changing needs and interests of the IT industry. It is a group composed of IT professionals, students, and numerous volunteers scattered across all fields, professions, and regions that have one goal: the advancement of individual growth through networking and mentoring to promote creativity in the IT world. 

Q: How will your major and AITP help you reach your goals?

 
By majoring in CIS I have taken a diverse set of IT courses. My degree will benefit me in the long run when I apply to various jobs in the IT industry. I will never be limited to just one field within IT or business.  AITP has given me, as well as its members, the chance to build and maintain relationships with industry leading firms such as USAA, General Motors, ExxonMobil and Charles Schwab (just to name a few). I have learned hard skills in the lecture hall and important soft skills at AITP events. I have landed an internship with Charles Schwab for this summer on account of the skills my professors and AITP have taught me! By being involved in AITP, one can begin to really plan out post university employment due to our experienced faculty advisors and countless networking opportunities! By being involved in AITP I have been able to fill my resume with great experience companies look for in applicants.


Q: What resource on campus do you recommend for students to utilize?

As a member of AITP, a CIS major, and a Tier I Service Desk analyst at ITAC on campus, I cannot stress how helpful Lynda.com is to Texas State students. By logging in to the site via http://www.tr.txstate.edu/training/lynda.html with your netID and password you have instant access. Lynda contains training, tutorials and practice material for virtually any subject offered at Texas State. I have personally used it to study for my coding classes, and we use it in AITP at our competition prep courses to ready our members for competition! Any major can benefit from this site and it is FREE! It is a relatively new resource to TXST, so the more Bobcats who know about it the better!


Q: What has been the most meaningful part of your McCoy Experience?

To be completely honest, I jumped into CIS and McCoy as a freshman not being completely sure what it really entailed. However, I immediately wanted to get involved and learn more, so I showed up to the first AITP event of the year back in 2013. I was hooked. AITP offered chapter meetings with corporate speakers that could tell me more about what I would expect in the classroom and post- graduation. I was surrounded by peers who shared the same major and similar interests. I also developed a strong student- faculty relationship with my faculty AITP advisors, Dr. David Wierschem and Mr. Kevin Jetton. They helped me with career opportunities, letters of recommendation, endless encouragement and life advice. The relationships with my friends and faculty members have made me feel like a part of the AITP and McCoy family. I would not give up my three years of involvement in AITP for anything. I contribute my success in college to being a leader and member of AITP. Being a part of this organization has helped shape me into the confident, strong, young female I am today.

Q: What makes your organization special/unique?

AITP differs from other organizations, because we offer more than social outreach, professional development and networking opportunities. As a whole we offer students all three, plus so much more!


You can build relationships with firms from day one, make friends at social events, and apply course knowledge at our Region 3 and National Collegiate Conferences held during the school year. We host a High School IT symposium that helps fund our trips as well as gives our members project development and execution experience. 500+  high school students across Texas attend and compete in tech contests our members create. They learn more about the university, enjoy a day devoted to their technical growth and see why being a CIS major and member of AITP is so great! Our members come together to make this symposium happen every fall and in turn get to put this awesome experience on their resumes. AITP is more than your average professional organization. We are devoted to your professional success! Members of AITP learn how to work on a team, while competition allows for reflection and growth of technical skills and by staying involved you can really become a well-rounded IT professional.

 



Q: What is something you wish someone would’ve told you before you started your college journey?

To those who are afraid to fail… Many failures lead to great success. I wish I would have known that every time I was not “perfect”. Mistakes are actually a time to expand your knowledge and professional portfolio. By learning from my mistakes in the classroom, in life, and during times of leadership I have been able to become a better student, leader, and professional. You learn what to do and what not to do. So don’t be afraid to fall just make sure to get back up!


Q: How can students join your organization?

It is so easy to join AITP! Semester dues are just $25 dollars a semester, and you can pay them online at our brand new website: txstateaitp.com You can also attend any of our events and pay in person by card or cash! You can still access our old site at txstateaitp.org, but only for a limited time! Once our new site is fully implemented, that .org site will no longer be available.




Web page: txstateaitp.com